Doing Good
by Kristen3
Summary: AU scene/continuation from "Girl Meets Popularity." After saving Mrs. Svorski's bakery, Toapga shares the lessons she's remembered from Mr. Feeny with Auggie and Riley. One-shot.


"Have I told you lately how proud of you I am?" Cory asked, as he, Topanga and Auggie walked back into their New York apartment.

"Yeah," Topanga said, smiling. "But you can tell me again." She kissed him for a long moment.

"You did something good today, right, Mommy?" Auggie asked.

"No," Topanga said, looking down at her son. " _We_ did something good."

"I've always known you would do well," Cory said. "But now you've done good, too."

Topanga nodded. She knew they were both thinking of the same thing: the last words Mr. Feeny had said to them in his classroom. They'd never forgotten that final lesson, but somewhere along the way, the words had been pushed aside in Topanga's heart. "Sometimes, I don't know what's happened to me. I used to be this girl who was going to change the world, save the rainforest, and help people find inner peace. Then I grew up, fell in love, and became someone different. And that was OK. It's all a part of growing up. But then we moved here, and my career started to take off. I guess I just got carried away. I forgot who I was."

"No," Cory corrected her. "You've always been the same person. You're the girl I fell in love with. Everything changed when we had other mouths to feed. Our priorities changed. But it's never changed how I feel about you."

"Thank you, Cory," Topanga said. "It meant a lot to me to have you there to support me."

"I'll always support you. My work is important. I love changing kids' lives, because I know the power that one teacher can have. But none of it would mean anything without you."

Auggie sat on the couch, watching his parents. "Mommy, are you still gonna be a lawyer now?"

"Yeah, I am," Topanga answered. She walked over to the boy, bending to his height. "I think that's the best way I can keep doing good. But I'm also going to make sure I have time to help Mrs. Svorski out, too. You see, Auggie, a long time ago, someone told your father and me something important. It's the reason we do what we do."

"What is it?" Auggie asked.

Cory came over, also making sure he and his son were at eye-level. "It was 'Dream. Try. Do good.'"

A look of confusion came on Auggie's face. "What does that mean?" he asked.

"Well, to us, it meant never giving up hope," Topanga said. "That's what I learned recently. Or, rather, _relearned_. And you have to try, in other words, _try_ to make things better. And do good."

"You mean, like, do good in school?" Auggie asked. His dad was a teacher, so he knew it was important to pay attention to his teacher.

"No, honey," Topanga said. "That's doing well. Like, being successful. And that's important. But it's also important, maybe even _more_ important, to do good. Doing good means helping people. Like we did today with Mrs. Svorski."

"Oh," Auggie said. He thought he understood.

Just then, the front door opened again. In walked Riley, with her wig and crazy outfit on. Topanga knew all about wearing unusual clothes, but she had a feeling this was a bad idea. She looked over at her daughter. "There's one more lesson I learned recently. Never forget who you are inside. It's easy to get caught up in doing what's cool or popular, but that's not what's going to make you happy. Everybody has something that makes _them_ special. All they need to do is find it."

"Mom, why are you still dressed like this?" Riley asked. It was weird to see her mom looking this way.

"Because, Riley, this is the girl I used to be. I got caught up in things, too. I forgot all about her, until realized there was a problem that _this_ girl could help solve." Topanga pointed to her heart.

"What kind of problem?" Riley asked with a nervous laugh.

"Your father and I saved a bakery today," Topanga said. "It's good to help people. To make things better. Is _this_ outfit making things better?" She pointed it Riley's choice of clothing.

"Well, it's made me a lot more popular," Riley answered.

"With who, Riley?" Cory asked, already knowing the answer.

"Farkle and his friends. I thought you liked them, Daddy."

"I do. But what about your other friends? The ones who like you for _you_?"

Riley knew she didn't have an answer to that. She took her wig off. Her mom was right, this wasn't the person she wanted to be. She suddenly hugged her father. "Thanks, Dad. You're a great teacher."

Cory squeezed Riley tightly. Sometimes he wished he could just hold her forever, but he knew that wasn't how the world worked. "You're welcome, sweetheart. Your mother and I love you, and we _want_ you to grow up. But as yourself, not some crazy trend that someone else tells you is cool."

Riley ended the embrace. "Can I use the phone for a few minutes? I have to go call Maya."

For a moment, Cory was tempted to tell her no. He and Topanga didn't like her using the phone before doing her homework. But then again, she had just learned a very valuable lesson.

Topanga saw the look in his eye, and knew what he was thinking. "Sure."

As Riley went to call her best friend, she realized something that suddenly made her breathe a sigh of relief. From now on, she didn't have to be anything else but herself.

 **The End**


End file.
